Olive Hotel Palace Road by Embassy Group

The spacious 2 and 3 BHK rooms and convenient location are why I’ve often stayed at Olive Hotel, Palace Road with friends when visiting Bangalore. This time, though, the place felt old and poorly maintained, and the overall experience was disappointing. Bath towels and a dental kit that used to be provided were missing. There was no phone in the room, so we had to go to reception whenever we needed anything. The staff also seemed less friendly and helpful than on earlier visits. There’s good potential here, but maintenance, amenities, and service need serious improvement to get back to the standard I remember.

The location is convenient and the rooms are decent, but room service could be better, and there’s no intercom in the room. Our early check-in was a bad experience. We were willing to pay, and even though rooms were available and they let us use the washroom, staff still said the rooms weren’t available. We ended up waiting in reception for almost five hours.

The place is quiet and enjoyable, with enough parking, and it’s easier to reach than core Bangalore. It’s a society converted into a hotel, so the rooms feel like actual homes rather than standard hotel rooms. They’re clean and good value. They don’t make food here, though, and bring it from another branch. There’s a small Grand Trigonometric Survey nearby if you’re interested in an offbeat historical visit.

I only needed a night and got a great deal on a massive studio room. The staff kindly let me check in early, and the location is good. There was a slight smell in the washroom and the mattress had old-fashioned springs, but those were minor annoyances. I’d stay again.